They're going to fry us in 5G microwaves! Do we really have anything to fear?

The deployment of 5G technology is inevitable. Ensuring very high transmission speeds, expanding the coverage area, increasing bandwidth, latency-free services and significantly improving the quality of service. All this comes with the implementation of 5G technology. However, in addition to all these "good things", it is also worth considering what security risks are associated with the use of 5G networks.
Our expectations for 5G wireless network are huge. The fact is that 5G will be much more efficient in handling several times the number of customers, and thus much more data traffic. It is also worth remembering that this is a completely new technology that contributes significantly to the provision of modern services.

Current wireless systems are clearly insufficient to meet user demands. Therefore, 5G network deployment is required preferably right away! This will allow us to achieve throughputs of 1-10Gbps, connecting 10-100 devices simultaneously. All this with 100% bandwidth availability and 90% less power consumption. Of course, it will be possible provided that 5G will also integrate other technologies:

• HetNet - heterogeneous networks
• IoT - Internet of Things
• D2D - device-to-device communication
• mMIMO - massively multiplexed output
• mmWave - millimetre wave communication
• CRN - Cognitive Radio Networks
• CRAN - cooperative radio access network
• UAV - unmanned aerial vehicle network
• M2M - machine to machine communication

What is the difference between 5G and 4G?

It is worth to be aware of the fact that the 5G Network operates on the same physical principles as previous generation networks - 2G, 3G, 4G, i.e. it also uses radio waves for data and information transmission. However, in order to implement the 5G network in 100%, it is necessary to rebuild (improve) the current infrastructure and build a new one. Base stations (antennas and transmitters) and backbone network devices have to be rebuilt. Then it will be possible to use higher frequencies, dedicated specifically for 5G technology (3.4 - 3.8 GHz and higher).

• Transmission speed

The idea of the 5G network is, first of all, significant acceleration of mobile Internet. Thanks to this we will be able to download a video in a few seconds or send large files. Just as a reminder. LTE wireless Internet allows to send data with a speed of up to 300Mbps, and with the enabled aggregation of 4G LTE bands up to 600Mbps (LTE cat.12), but the real data transfer speeds are about 20-30Mbps. Such a large decrease in real throughput is closely related to factors such as: terrain, buildings (attenuation), the number of people using a particular base station, or the capabilities of the smartphone or router. 5G network should provide even 10 times faster data transmission, i.e. transmission speed should be up to 20Gbps.

• Data transmission delays

In 4G LTE networks there are quite high delays, which are 30-40ms and sometimes even over 100ms. In the case of 5G technology, delays will be reduced to about 1-3ms! Thanks to this, industries closely dependent on remote Internet, such as autonomous vehicles, will develop.

• Higher frequencies

As we know, in Poland the 4G network operates at frequencies from 800 to 2600 MHz. In the case of 5G networks, higher frequencies will be used. Initially, the bands used will be 3.4 - 3.8 GHz. Ultimately, the 5G network will operate at 26 GHz.

• Better infrastructure

The implementation of 5G network is also associated with modern infrastructure. Both base stations will be expanded and improved, and new transmitters will appear. This will allow to support a larger number of transmitting and receiving devices. In addition, all this will take place without interference.

The network of the future? The advantages of 5G

5G technology is not only about faster connections, but also about innovative, groundbreaking solutions that offer many more possibilities. Remote operations or smart, secure neighborhoods are just some of the innovations on offer. Here's what else the use of 5G networks offers us:

• Smooth internet experience without lag

With 5G technology, we will be able to use the Internet in a very seamless way, without interference. Even if at the same time there are many users in our household. Also video conferencing, remote work and study, and above all online gaming will be realized with very low pings and without any lag.

• Very fast data transmission

Today, 5G internet allows you to upload and download files and data 10 times faster than 4G LTE network. Live shows, movies, series - you can watch them all in 4K quality without the problems of constant buffering.

• Internet of Things (IoT) and VR

Clearly, the 5G network is enabling tremendous growth. It is a technological leap! We can connect more and more devices to our network. Household appliances (washing machines, refrigerators), traffic lights, autonomous vehicles and of course robots, which will probably also be connected to the 5G network. Of course, with the advancement of 5G technology, virtual reality is developing at the same time. This will allow us to explore the city remotely, or "participate" in a match, thanks to VR goggles, which will also be connected to the 5G network.

While the integration of all of the above technologies will revolutionize current wireless networks, we must also be aware of new security issues. Generally in 5G network attacks are divided into two types:

• Passive attacks: unauthorized use of authorized users' information that is not intended to disrupt communication. The most common types of passive attacks are traffic analysis and eavesdropping. In short, these are attacks that involve eavesdropping and analyzing network traffic. The attacker tries to steal useful information messages that can later be used for bad purposes. Traffic analysis can also be used to steal encrypted signals from wireless radio networks.

• Active attacks: these aim to disrupt the communication of authorized users and alter the communication. Examples of such attacks include "jamming", denial o service (DoS), distributed denial of service (DDoS) and man in the middle (MITM) attacks
  • Jamming: a jamming attack is an attack that disrupts data communication. These attacks target the physical layer of the network and they are also the basis of DoS attacks. Jamming attacks are very difficult to detect. The jammer is able to intelligently adjust the transmission power. And even if it is detected it is still very difficult to mitigate the effects of the attack.
  • Man-in-the-Middle (MITM): is a type of active attack in which an attacker secretly takes control of the main communication channel between two legitimate users. MITM can target different layers of the communication channel to degrade its confidentiality, availability and secrecy.

Of course, all threats in 5G networks can also be dealt with somehow. At the moment many security architectures are proposed. They are based on two types of security techniques: cryptographic technique and physical layer security (PLS) technique.

• Cryptographic techniques: these techniques are used in different layers of the 5G network architecture to deal with security breaches. These techniques are in turn divided into two types: symmetric key cryptography, which is based on the concept of sharing a secret key between authorized users, for encryption and decryption. While the second type is asymmetric key cryptography, in which a public key is used to encrypt data and a private key is used for decryption.
  The public key is shared with all communicating parties of the network and each user has his own unique private key. The performance of this cryptographic technique is strictly dependent on the length of the key and the complexity of the algorithm. It is obvious that the more complex the algorithm, the better the performance and security. However, such complex algorithms consume much more time and energy.
  

• Physical layer security: this technique provides much better security, with less complex mechanisms and with less delay and energy consumption. PLS technique exploits the properties and impairments of wireless channels such as noise, fading, interference, scattering and diversity. PLS guarantees high high security of user information even if the legitimate user's channel is in worse condition than the eavesdropper's channel. PLS techniques to maintain the confidentiality of the wireless communication medium include:

• Artificial Noise Injection;
• Anti-eavesdropping Signal Design;
• Secure Beamforming/Precoding;
• Secure Cooperative Transmission Techniques;
• Resource Allocation and Power Control;

The security of 5G technology is extremely important for network security and taking full advantage of the capabilities of this technology. Protecting our privacy should be considered at the design stage. The security of the entire system should be taken into account from the very beginning and all the necessary security features of the 5G network should be included.
I believe that while standardizing the 5G network, the telecom authorities should take into account, first of all, strict regulations regarding our privacy. Above all, officials and telecom colossi, first of all, should develop privacy regulations for each country. All this should also be done with the support of international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) or the European Union (EU). Another point. I also believe that several big industries like 3GPP, ETSI and ONF should also put in place a set of rules and practices that will guarantee a high level of security. Generalizing. Implementation of 5G technology brings a lot of improvements and technological development, but you also need to be aware of the risks that it brings. These threats should be adequately protected. I think that security in 5G networks should be the most important thing! And this is what I wish for all of us.

Author:
Leszek Blaszczyk